Reflections Back to The Bowman Technical School

Louis was in Lancaster, PA this week. I lived there for some 2 ½ years attending watchmaking school. He sent me photos of my old school which is the catalyst for this entry.

The world was such a different place when I was trying to plan out my future back in the late 1960’s. I really did not seriously apply myself to my academic studies back in my high school days. I planned to eventually join the ranks at the GM plant of my hometown, but I wanted more. I had always been fascinated by all things mechanical. I still have the coo-coo clock that survived my earliest repair attempts.

Doing research with my guidance counselor I figured that if I learned how to repair watches and clocks that would be a great sideline. Having such skills would always be an asset.

At that time in history mechanical watches were still the bell weather. Hamilton Watch Co was located in Lancaster, PA. They were still cranking out first quality mechanical watches, but were at work on opening up the digital field. In May 1972 Hamilton released the first digital watches to the public.

There were still a number of trade schools offering watchmaking courses. I decided upon The Bowman Technical School in Lancaster, Pa. Google is indispensible for locating information. However not everything is out there on “the internets”. Sadly there is scant information on my old trade school. Doing a quick search of my files I found this old folder from 1971 which gives a good overview of my old school.

There was no set admission date to start the watchmaking program. You worked doing projects under the guidance of fantastic watchmakers. The first of the month was the usual admission date if openings were available.

I spent the summer of 1970 touring Europe on my 10 speed with the American Youth Hostels. Returning in late August, I opted to begin my studies October 1^st. That way I could work at the Burger Chef for the month of September, recover from two months in Europe, and accrue some money before heading out.

There was no such thing as dormitories or student housing. The school had some connections placing students in living quarters, but there was no real obligation to assume responsibility for students living arrangements. My mom and dad were not “helicopter parents”. I packed up a suitcase and flew out on Allegheny Airlines to Lancaster with no idea where I would live. I was about to start a new chapter of my life

That first month was spent learning the basics of filing and finishing metals. Many of those early projects ended up as tools I use to this day. The school opened at 8:30 in the morning, and closed at 5:00 in the evening. It was pretty much like going to a job. There were no set classes. It was individual instruction.

Pretty much everyone at the school worked on the outside. There was a Burger Chef Drive In located out on Millersville Pike. It made sense to stick with what I was familiar with. I boarded the bus, which took me out to the Manor ShoppingCenter. The restaurant was right near by. I knew I would be walking back into town. I also stopped at the Weis Supermarket and applied for a job.

While waiting for a permanent job I hired out with a temporary job service. I’ll never forget the weekend I worked at the Lancaster Newspaper putting together the Sunday Edition. I had to keep this ancient machine filled with the woman’s pages. I can still see the headlines of that section; "The Working Mother" by Mary Jane Lane.

The supermarket called me and I hired in working the produce department. This turned out to be a godsend. I never ate as healthy as I did working that area. My favourite trick was in the summer sectioning watermelons. When cutting the watermelon in half, if I twisted the huge knife just right, one half would have a little hollow right in the middle. The other half would have a raised portion. I would shave that off and enjoy the “filet”: the sweetest, sandiest part of the fruit. They never caught on!

My first few months were Hell. I did not know a soul; I was totally on my own in a strange city. Gradually I made friends and my schooling began to make sense.

If I remember right the tuition was $75.00 a month. My parents took care of that and I paid all my living expenses. I still have a “budget” where monthly I used to balance to the penny every cent I spent. That is where I learned the value of the dollar and how to save and hoard!

The 1960’s and early 1970’s marked the end of many eras. I was taught how to clean watches the old fashioned way; first using cyanide, then soap and ammonia, a quick dip in alcohol to remove all the moisture, and finally drying the parts in boxwood sawdust. We used to dip our hands in those chemicals and think nothing of it! Changing out the solutions entailed just dumping all those chemicals down the drain of the old soapstone sink. There was a door right by the sink that had a “roller towel” for drying your hands. The EPA put an end the cyanide and indiscriminate chemical dumping.

There was a widow lady near by who took in boarders. For seven months I lived in a real boarding house. How many people of my generation can say that? Better yet, how many people today even know what a boarding house is?

My watchmaking education has served me well. I don’t work on watches and clocks much anymore, but back when the economy was falling apart in the mid 1970’s and early 1980’s that sideline kept me above water and solvent. I’m able to keep my personal collection in repair which is fine with me. The problem solving techniques involved in diagnosing mechanical watch problems I have applied in many aspects of my life.

Here is a street view of the school building. The bottom floor originally housed Bowman's Jewelry Store. The second and third floors housed the classrooms. The third floor was for watchmaking, clockmaking, and hand engraving. The second floor housed jewelry making and a large lecture room. The seating for the room was cast iron and wooden seats similar to what was used in turn of the 19th century schools. Back before WWI there was an observatory at the school. The shell is still there.

The doorway to the right is the entrance to the upper classrooms. My workbench was on the third floor at the far right window. This was a prime spot as the floor was pretty solid and there was no foot traffic. The floors were so shakey, it was not hard to have a project destroyed by a heavy footed person jiggling your workbench as you would be doing a delicate job.

The stairway going up to the classrooms. How many times did I transverse those treads....back then the walls were painted a medium green. It was the green I was to live with my entire Lockport career at GM. It was that puky green that hides dirt, but never looks clean.

The corner clocks were run by this clockworks proudly displayed in the right show window. A miniture version of a tower clock. Sadly this is no longer operating, but at least it is in it's original location.